Justice: Cushing brings spike in attitude to Texans

CommentaryTexans just got a spike in attitude

RICHARD JUSTICE, Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle |
October 7, 2010

Brian Cushing should help a defense that ranks last in total defense and near the bottom in forcing turnovers.

Brian Cushing isn't a special player because of anything that can be weighed, measured or timed.

That's one of the beauties of playing defense in the NFL. It isn't always precise. It isn't always pretty. It's not even always about being the biggest, fastest or strongest.

Sometimes, it's so simple it sounds like a coaching cliché. It's about old-fashioned virtues like effort, toughness and a relentless desire to beat the guy across the line of scrimmage, to force a fumble when a forced fumble is needed, to sack a quarterback when a quarterback sack is needed.

These are the things Cushing brings back to the Texans. He's a smart, instinctive football player, but almost everything he does well begins with effort and passion. Dick Butkus would appreciate him. Lawrence Taylor would see a little of himself.

The Texans are last in the NFL in total defense and near the bottom in intercepting passes and forcing fumbles. That defense got better the moment Cushing stepped back on the practice field Wednesday morning.

He will force opposing offensive coordinators to pay attention, which should mean more opportunities for Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, Bernard Pollard, etc. And Cushing will be in the right place at the right time.

"A lot of what makes a defense successful is effort and attitude," Texans general manager Rick Smith said. "He adds that dimension to our group. He makes plays on the football."

It's that knack for making plays that wins games.

"He has a good football awareness," Smith said. "And there's effort. Running to the ball. Playing hard. When guys play that way, good things typically happen. He finds himself in the middle of the play."

You can't teach instinct

Those were the things that jumped off the video when Smith made him the 15th pick of the 2009 draft.

"He get his hands on the ball, he gets sacks, he can rush the quarterback," Texans linebackers coach Johnny Holland said. "We hope we can get more big plays out of the group — more hits on the quarterback, more tipped balls, more interceptions. That's what he brings. That's what you call instincts. Coaches can't really teach it. When it's time to make a play, certain guys can make it."

Cushing led the Texans in tackles his rookie year. He also had four sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and 10 pass deflections.

"He's a rare guy," said Texans quarterback Matt Leinart, Cushing's teammate at USC. "He can do everything. He can cover. He can rush. He can drop back and play zone. He's a smart, instinctive player who understands the game."

His teammates with the Texans didn't know what to make of him when he strutted into the locker room with his crazed training regimen, Mohawk haircut and locker-slugging intensity.

A competitive forest fire

After an early-season loss, Cushing stalked through the locker room with a mad stare in his eyes. One teammate remembered not knowing whether to tell him to calm down or run and hide because Cushing seemed about to go down the hallway and square off with the opposing quarterback.

Funny how a kid who keeps making plays can grow on everyone. It was halftime of a late-season game in Miami when Gary Kubiak's medical staff delivered the news at halftime that Cushing had a broken finger and might be iffy for the second half.

"And I looked over there and Cush winked at me," Kubiak said. "He wasn't going to miss a down. That's who he is."

You'll hear Cushing's intensity raises the level of play up and down the roster. His teammates don't believe this and don't want to hear it. Their intensity is fine, and thanks for asking.

"Nothing against Brian," Ryans said, "but I don't see guys playing harder because Brian is back. If you weren't playing hard before, you don't deserve to be out here."

The Texans have gotten great effort this season, and their confidence is growing by the day. They began this season saying they deserved to be mentioned among the NFL's other really good teams, but they knew that until they went out and showed the world, no one would believe them. So far, they have.

Cushing does bring an attitude and a competitive fire, but the bottom line is the ability to make plays that change games. Those are the things the Texans haven't been getting enough of.